Tormented
by cheong.yewfong
Summary: Everyone in the Joes know they lost something, sacrificed something in order to become one of the brother in arms. Me? I lost everyone I knew I loved when I stepped into the Pit. But when a threat rolls in, I was sure that if I don't find true allies, I would lose myself, too, along with my new teammates. Rewritten version of Flashbacks.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! :D Welcome to the rewritten version of Flashbacks, y'know, that crappy fic that tries to not look like a loser in the archives?**

**Never mind. XD**

**Fun fact: I was so pumped after I re-watched Rise of the Cobra, so the timelines might get messed up a lil between Rise of the Cobra and Retaliation. Hope you don't mind.**

* * *

I always wanted to know how does being in someone's world felt like. How they felt, what their background stories were, how they survived, how they were.

Yep, I was always the curious one. I was always thinking. Not logical Einstein thinking, unfortunately. That wouldn't explain my grades.

Like, what happens inside a criminal's mind? What drives them to that kind of madness? Was it truly madness for them, or do they find jailing a whole new purpose? Was there another reason for their breakouts except for freedom, family and that kind of stuff?

The last question seemed a little bit off the 'possible' line, but something inside me that believed in anything kicked that thought away.

Occasionally I would tell my friend Meggie about the wild, wild maze of things in my head, but after listening she said its like hers just came off. Then she would recommend me to go to jail and experience it for myself, or split open Eduardo Ravelo's head to see.

"Might not see any thoughts, but looking at it might be enough to make your thinking a little bit sane." Meggie edged her voice with a smirk. I dismissed her teasing, and wander about the real reason that I thought this whole thing.

My beloved Ge Ge.

_He was there. I was there too. He was standing at the doorway, holding a really creepy knife he stabbed Mama and Papa with. Dark, icky red liquid dripped from its blade, splattering to the floor with a empty ploop._

_Mama's blood._

_A younger me sitting at the back of a door swallowed hard, my heart beating like a limp horse. His face was darkened by the lack of light, only the back kitchen lit, casting a eerie glow behind him. His disheveled dark hair seemed messier and wilder than ever, like a psycho killer with his mask taken off. He advanced on me._

_I cried and wailed like a baby at every step he took towards me, the tears blurring my vision, slipping down my cheeks. My heart leaked terribly, like it got crushed between two walls, my soul torn between terror and bewilderment._

_My once loving brother that stood up for me for everything and gave me the teddy bear I was holding, was now going to kill me, to place me beside Pa and Ma in heaven._

_What in the world happened to him? What demon possessed him, transforming him into a monster that shedded the very thing of love? "Ge ge?" I whispered softly, clutching the teddy bear in my arms so tight I think some of the cotton came out._

_"Shhh, Mei Mei, ssshhh." He placed a finger above his lips, and he tilted his head up, letting the light fill his maddened eyes, his whites bloodshot. "Don't you wanna be with Ma and Pa again? Hmm?" He whispered, and I registered a raspy breath. "Ge ge, no, no."_

_"Well now, it all ends here." He grinned so wide his cheeks looked bright red, like a Chesire Cat, and finally, he lifted his knife. He opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted-_

"Earth to Rachelle? Earth to Rachelle? Hellloooooo? Anybodeh hooome?"

A faint bunch of snaps that sounded distant drilled slowly into my attention, until it officially broke my daze and the snaps burst in my ear, annoyingly clear, just right beside me. I scowled at Meggie who sighed, withdrawing her fingers.

Meggie. Dad's best friend's daughter, lives near off the coast, a few miles away. Tough, kind and kind of nice. Wouldn't hurt a fly, but the school's jerk squad didn't need that kind of information.

"Y'know, I'm seriously worried for you. Throughout the whole class you were acting the exact same way. You're so lucky that the teacher didn't notice you."

"Yeeeeaaah, I definitely know when to daydream." I mumbled, still having my flashback just now clawing on my heart.

He was the reason I had so many thoughts about this. I wonder where was he now...

"There you go again." Meggie sighed as she twirled her ginger locks around her index finger, speaking in her thick Australian accent. "Y'know, I'm seriously thinkin' what got you into this mess. Your boss will literally throw you out of the window if you were a whoopin' worker. How often does Mr Erikssen have you in training? I bet for 8 hours a day?"

"4 hours a day. If there's no school, probably over eight." I estimated as I pulled out my bag, and hauled myself to the locker hall. "Hey, its no big deal, okay? There's nothing about my training connected to this!"

"Oh really? Does that explain why you're always thinking about blades now? Clearly. You should really take a break. See how the results are going." Meggie shook her head. If I had a mouthful of water, I'd spit it. "No way! I'm having my Opening Gate Ritual next-"

"Nuh-uh. I'm telling that to your mom, end of story." She flashed me her most annoying grin. "Perks of being someone's best friend."

I pretended to play with the game. Mom was completely assured that I am sane while training, and she has her long list of medications on me to prove it. But I didn't feel like owning my best friend right now. "I can't quit. Dad will let me handle bladed weapons on my next birthday if this keeps on."

"Oh, for god's sakes, he's letting you touch blades now? What is wrong with your dad? Is this like, Japanese Samurai Ninja-whatever Children Slavery Era? Why the heck is he training you, a brunette with a innocent sweet face to be a ninja warrior?"

"'Cause it'll look bad if he's a top martial artist and I'm a wimp that stares at a computer all day?" The only house without a computer in the whole neighborhood is, unfortunately the most humiliating truth I have when I get pulled into neighborhood gatherings and I get to stick with a bunch of lame techies obsessions.

Still, truly, he never told me. I went with his game and kept quiet about it, just because he promised that one day that secret will bloom into truth.

"Still, why is he doing this to you, its not like you have to fight off enemy ninjas when you come to school everyday."

"I probably do." That snapped her to attention and made her stare at me, wide eyed as if I just blasted down from space, before I shrugged it off, my lips curving upwards a little. "Kidding." She smacked my arm in reply, only to have it dodged quickly, and in turn I grabbed her wrist firmly to immobilize anything else. "See? I can't hurt you now, and it sucks." She whined. "You know what's unfair? You getting paired with the school's Golden Boy for the school's art fair and me stuck with this lame-o guy!" I exclaimed, and she immediately flushed to a shade of red. "Hey, the teacher gave the job, okay?"

"Fine, be that way. What time is it now?" I mumbled. She shot a glance at the clock that hung far, above the entrance."Break time. Now c'mon, we don't want to be the last to eat."

I nodded slowly, before shaking myself out of the daze. Meggie got a firm grasp on my hand, and we ran to the cafeteria.

* * *

I walked back home, the few rare times where Meggie's irritating yet comforting presence was absent. She had to attend the campus's photography club, which was excusable.

I let out a long sigh as I walked down the avenue. It wasn't a big deal- at least that was what I always tell myself- Dad wanted me to be in this kind of silence anyways, he always complained I couldn't concentrate for mediating. The whole bully team didn't know my gentleness, they didn't dare to hurt me as well, but sadly that seems to let me miss that part of a normal teenage life.

My house looms over the distance, an cream colored house with three stories and a few blunt roofs, sitting at the corner of the road looking lonely and silent with a few taints of brown on the walls. There was a steep hill that connected itself to the house, right beside the backyard entrance; mom freaked out about removing it so that it doesn't bury us in anytime, but dad insisted on keeping it.

I rapped the door softly, and seconds later the first thing I saw were the bright red subtle, freckled cheeks, and then I saw my mom smiling widely, having her favorite 'Kiss the Cook' floral apron on, and her hair tied firmly back into a pony tail. Her bright, willowy grey eyes with a tinge of green twinkled, her hand holding a glass containing murky orange liquid. My daily dose of fruit vitamins.

"How was school?" She asked warmly as I gulped down the fruit drink. At lucky days, her fruit drink will taste like molten Skittles; and leave a really sweet taste in my mouth which I really liked. But today the whole sweetness was melted down by a bitter whack of cucumber through the mix. Not gonna be my lucky day.

"Fine." I gave the glass back to her, and she pulled me into a hasty, one armed hug, before letting me in. "Your dad wants to speak to you for a while, if you could." She called out from the entrance, and I replied with a nod I didn't know who to give.

The arena was at the second floor- separating the bedrooms and the living room, kitchen and backyard. Dominating 158 square meters, it has a small section for weapon storage sealed by a thick steel layer, and another bit of small space for the staircase. I changed hastily into my usual black gi, and wandered around the arena until my adopted dad showed up.

"Hello, Rachelle." He emerged from the shadows, padding across the arena soundlessly. There he is again, mysteriously mysterious, like he was born in the shadows. That's my dad.

"Since you're now back from school, I'll have to announce your testing day." His voice boomed through the atmosphere of silence like a gong. Tension gushed into the situation like a leaked bottle, surrounding me like waves, and I flexed my fingers.

Testing day.

The day where I get to finally know why I've been gritting my teeth, filling my life with swords, knives, and blades.

"The day before your birthday. As your birthday gift, how does that sound?" I saw his face brighten up a little bit with affection, like a smile. I beamed up as well, realizing that he had believed in my power, thinking I would win. "Today you will have a free training session. Get to your best, and show your best at testing day. Leave me proud. Until then..." He assumed a battle stance. "Come at me."

Show your best? I cocked my eyebrows. What kind of judge will stand for my testing day, that might mean so much about my life?

I dismissed my thoughts at a invisible swipe of my hand, as if it were tufts of clouds, and lunged at him, fists raised.

My dad; adopted me when he found me in the adoption suite; the six year old me surviving the scarring, sick effects of my maddened brother. Then he knocked me off with intensive training; against my mom's favor at first, but after I revealed my likings to being beaten up and almost stabbed at the eye, I was set into the world of martial arts. Memories of him darkening my past with stern shouts and harsh shoves on the back as I struggled with a kick sent random shudders down my spine.

_Don't concentrate in the past, Rachelle; focus on what you can do now._

My dad was everything about the martial arts I knew: the fights, the moves, and the knowledge. He was the only experience I had with actual fights, since I never got to go out into the real world to know what kind of distinction the competition was. But it was already enough for me.

I gunner his stomach with my knuckles, and he blocked with a cross formed in his arms, then flung his arms open once more, attempting to hit me. I ducked underneath and smashed his hips, causing him to groan. Then I let myself fall to the unbalanced weight of gravity, and lashed a leg out, hitting his and forcing him to his knees. He rolled across the arena, before running back to me, demonstrating a kick. In vain I took out a fist to block it by fearful guts, and he landed on top of me.

* * *

"Alright, class dismissed. What you did is satisfactory. When we come back, I want you to be ready for a lesson about facing the element of surprise. I caught my father letting out a pace of exhausted breath, worn out from our fight, and he disappeared into the shadows once more.

Well I can't tease him about it, because I was pinned to the ground with exhaustion, my mouth too much occupied for more breath to reply him. Cranking my head, I sacrificed few seconds of pinned fatigue to get a blurry glance a the clock. Half and hour of mock combat. With that, I let myself hit the floor again, panting heavily, my lungs screaming for more air.

* * *

Mr Erikssen looked silently through the glass barriers that kept the arena from the staircase, at his adopted daughter, at target 301. His first zero one mission, the Cobra's priorities. The first digits usually say the level of the missions; the second and first last how important the assignment is, the lesser the more. He went down the stairs soundlessly, careful not to disturb any of the beautiful tranquility.

He ambled down the hall, stepping on the wooden tiles. He then paused at a side of the wall; gazing wistfully at it, before looking at both sides in care, before pressing a hidden section of the hallway. The hidden tile sank in and slid out of sight, revealing a keypad and a scanning pad. Mr Erikssen lowered himself to the level of the safe, and let the scanner do its magic.

A much larger section of the wall hissed open when the safe recognized the user like a moisac, enough for Mr Erikssen to step through without crouching. Looking around for one more time, Mr Erikssen meld into the wall, before it seals itself back into a normal part of a old, cream colored house.

After a empty, brightly lit metal hallway that clanked noisily at every step Mr Erikssen took, he reached the meeting room which reeked of new. The walls were the purest white, the chairs and tables not a tint of contamination on them, letting the man feel like he was floating off the ground. There was another door sealed with steel, but that was for later to enter.

Mr Erikssen stepped into the specified area of the room, right in front of the table, and immediately a holographic image of a shadowed man flickered to life, sitting at the chair across Mr Erikssen, folding his fingers, metallic and dagger-like in a very mannerly way.

"Viper asked how is she." The voice, even though static through the communication, it was heard as if it was from a robot speaking, deep and threatening. mr Erikssen nodded his head. "The usual."

"What do you mean, the usual?" The voice started to boil as Mr Erikssen watched him tilted his head.

"She has been trained according to the syllables I've given very smoothly, and now already achieved black belt. I supposed the date of the initiation test."

"Very well. Make sure that she is trained to the best, I don't want anyone getting through our plan this time." He heard a growling edging his voice, a voice of hungry determination. "Especially that masked wretch that steered Storm Shadow away from us for quite a while."

Snake Eyes. Member of the arch enemy organization that had snuffed the threatening flames of Cobra again and again. Mr Erikssen stiffened. "Your words will be reality, sir."

"And, General Fang;" Mr Erikssen looked up upon the rare mention of his code name; "We have spotted them with a nanobyte. Turns out the tracking system is still working, but it won't if they get the nanobyte out sooner or later. We can still have an advantage and multiply them to warheads once more."

"Send Viper." The man suggested immediately, and the shadowed hologram shuffled his legs, and there was a smirk. "Already done. Let's see how the Joes react to this, and let our new plan unfold. Soon you will have a place among my world domination, my loyal pet."

Mr Erikssen stood there soundlessly, before speaking once more, fists curled. "Then I wish you the best of luck, General." He bowed briefly, and departed the room, where the hologram smiled once more, before falling back to lifeless pixels.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: Apparently my mac is getting glitchy and crap, so every G. I typed becomes G.**

**I mean g i joe**

**ugh**

* * *

The next day, I walked home grumbling.

No, it wasn't Meggie's absence.

I stared down at the assignment worksheet I had to finish. MYSELF. That son of a jerk Ken sure knew how to make a excuse out of everything. Take a picture of your favorite location, and describe it in an essay. I mumbled a curse.

Great, I always hated English. Fortunately, the best place on earth for me was only a few miles away, I can ride my bike there at later to check it out. it's been a while since I had practiced my stuff there. It was the only place I've been for mediating, not far off the coast, in fact its a cliff hanging off the beach, with a beautiful creek that was engraved with moss and woods.

It's only even more beautiful at night, fireflies and little creatures like squirrels dazzling the night sky with sparkled with stars. I guess I'll just go at night.

I plopped my bag at the couch as usual after I came back, and changed into my gi.

* * *

When I arrived at the scene, it wasn't much for a scenery picture.

The whole, beautiful green pasture was over ridden with security guards in dark green, the color of the military, all the woods were masked behind a tent of blue plastic. High technology was everywhere; in the guard's hands, plastered around the tents, and over their bodies. There was a woman with scarlet locks holding what looks like a crossbow from the future. Beside her was a Spanish guy holding a massive block of metal. It was a complete scene of a sci fi movie. I could take a picture of this, but a problem might come when the government police knocks at my door.

Curiosity burned inside me like a inferno. I placed my camera carefully in my bike's basket, and pulled out my bo staff, then creeped closer for a better look.

And I got pinned down.

_Oh crap, its the security. They're gonna knock me out and send me back to my house, and have a conversation with my parents and send me to jail and the news is gonna go everywhere, and-*GASP* TESTING DAY HAVEN'T CAME IN YET WHAT AM I GONNA DO NOOOOOO and and and-_

Fortunately, all of that didn't happen, because that mysterious figure, now that I saw was completely black cladded just glided over me and was lunging towards the site.

_What the heck should I do? He doesn't look too friendly, judging that he just walked over me like a mat, and now he's probably going to-OOOOH SHUCKS HE JUST KILLED A GUY WITH A SHRUIKEN WHAT THE HELL- oh no no one's there should I interfere should I oh god what if I get hit too-_

Suddenly Meggie's voice blared into my messed up internal monologue, like a troop of hands organizing things again. _STOP MESSIN WITH YOURSELF GIRL IF YOU WANNA FIGHT THEN FIGHT!_

Realizing she was right, I crept to a distance I was close enough to lunge at him, and I did.

Pinning the guy down, I smashed a firm kick at his gut, feeling the stiff armor that protected him. I flipped my staff, not giving him a chance to reply my attack, and stab at his helmet, only to have it blocked. I thrusted a fist at his neck bone, and heard the crack of satisfaction, followed by a cry of pain beneath the helmet. _God, he is hard. _I thought, and did a shuriken kick- and that's where my series of successful attack ended.

He unsheathed a blade- a real blade- the _SCHING_ sound piercing my ears, and sliced the air, hardly missing me. I somersaulted back, legs kicking his blocking stance, and blocked his blade with my staff. Before I knew it, he unleashed a vicious kick at me, and the next thing I knew, I was flying through the air, pain exploding at my hips. When I landed, agony burst through my veins, spreading them like pins cutting through my skin. I cried out- just to have blood to seep out of my mouth.

Wiping them off, I stood up to take a good look at the opponent- grabbing my bo staff firmly. He had turned off into the tent-as if I were just a distraction.

_Oh, I'll show you what a distraction is. _The alien feeling of avenging coursed through my pain, replacing them, and it overwhelmed me.

I pounced, and hooked his running feet with my hand, pulling him to the grass. He showed his blade again, letting me catch a glimpse of my reflection in the perfectly polished surface.

The blade lifted, then I advanced, spinning the staff in a threatening way as I advanced like a shield.

The man in black backed, but then he somersaulted, and kicked my fingers in accuracy I've never come to see, but also injected pain and causing me to loose grip on the weapon. I muttered a mild curse. Forget that thing.

I winced as I gunned my knuckles as hard as possible into his stomach, but damn, he was like steel. He lashed out on me, but I dodged, and did the infamous triple break on him. As expected, he took me off again, and did the combo punch on me. Then he slashed one of his blades at me, and sharp pain erupted on my neck, but it was just a slash.

I roared, and dodged one of his fist, and landed mine on his helmet. Then I slid back, and threw a nearby stick at his chest, My knuckles were excellent natural defenders against his blades, it still couldn't bear the amount of pain he gave me. Before he can take any action and kill me, something pinned him back. As I got up, I saw it was another guy in full combat suit, with two samurai swords and the similar helmet trying to stab the other guy with the sword like He was smashing a bug.

I got up and joined the fight, grabbing my fallen bo staff and hitting it on the opponent's helmet, making even more cracks. I held my breath as the other guy trying to stab him too out bladed tonfas, and added even more spikes to the tip as the opponent sprang up, looking kinda fed up with the fight.

He tried to dodge both of us and unleashed out his swords, but I whacked him down, and did my infamous triple punch and the guy's armor. He looked stunned by now, but I can't stop. I mercilessly kicked, punched, whacked him down, then tossed him to the ground like a tin can, remembering every step Mr Erikssen taught me for the last ten years. Finally, I lifted him to a cliff that displayed a good seat to enjoy the green scenery, unaware of him, but froze as he pointed a pistol at me.

I felt my soul get scraped bare.

A gleaming AMT AutoMag V.

* * *

Automatically I swallowed hard, blood cold, and lifted my hands in sign of surrender, but my heard screamed me to put my hands back down. There was silence hanging for a while between us, before a shuriken snatched the gun out of the guy's grasp and sent it off the cliff. For a moment I tried to hear a soft _plop_ on the sand, but was covered up by noises from the tent.

The man took out the shuriken from his hand, and tossed it back to the guy behind me, but he dodged in ease, and snapped the shuriken between his fingers.

Taking the advantage, I slammed my elbow onto his injured arm and spun around, launching a kick at his helmet which he dodged, and lashed my neck with a sword, gifting me a scar, but it was better to not have me beheaded. I knocked my head to his helmet, and stabbed his feet with mine, my arms supporting his balance from falling down the cliff. But finally, I hit his head, and the man plummeted to the ground.

I let out a raspy breath as I watched his size grow smaller and smaller until he hit the sane beneath him. _I hope he gets washed into the waves and gets eaten by piranhas. _I growled, before stopping myself in realization. Slowly I let the horrified innocence spread throughout my face. _What have I done?_

Guilt stabbed me through the heart slowly, for me to register. _What am I gonna tell if the police comes to my door? I'm really going to jail for sure this time. Oh gods help me-_

I turned back, blinking back tears. So this was how a real fight feels like. I felt like the whole weight of Earth collapsed on me. Hell.

The black cladded guy who just helped me earlier walked in, and offered me a hand. Blinking rapidly, I accepted his help, and got up with throbbing legs. And when I looked up, I realized probably everyone from the tent came out to watch me. Despite my cheeks going beet red, I still felt like I've been wrung out of strength.

"You guys aren't gonna put me to jail for killing...?" I pant, desperate to get back to the floor, to let myself faint from all of this.

"Killing? Pah, if that's a Cobra, that guy's made up with far more tougher stuff than being killed by a girl." Someone from the tent came out, a guy with a dark colored beret and a navy patterned jacket that covered a grey sweater.

"Well, well. I don't recall summoning a girl into the zone, Breaker." The man twitched his nose, as if in suspect. I guided my eyes to my bloody feet. "State your reason entering here, woman, or we'll have to call the government security force."

* * *

Aaaand here comes the ugly situation.

They blinded me the whole way in and sat me in the tent, which was filled with screens chucked with data that I couldn't read. there was another white door behind where I was tied to, but I didn't bother to lose my curiosity on that. I pursed my lips to prevent blood from oozing out through my lips again.

A few minutes suffering the aftermath of the fight and sore bones, a few people assembled in front of me. A man with military cut with a scar shaped like a upside down L below his left eye, a man with olive skin and shot me a no-nonsense face with a monstrous body, the red haired woman that I previously saw patrolling, the Spanish guy with that oversized eyewear over his right eye, the black cladded dude, and the guy who asked me previously. All of them were in a combat suit except the beret guy, but grey instead of black.

Tension grew solid around the room. All of them radiated a aura; like honorable soldiers with their noble past glowing around them. I could almost see it flicker like a shield, and told myself never to mess with them.

"State your location." The man barked. I spat out my address, and the Spanish grabbed his tablet and started tapping on it. He flicked two fingers in opposite direction, a zoom-in motion, and I narrowed my eyes as his widened. Quickly, he showed it to the beret guy, and the man looked back at me. "State your guardians."

"Mr Frank Xavier Erikssen and Mrs Rosalinna Alfred Grey." I flung my head back. "Can I go home now?"

The Spanish dude tapped even more codes onto his tablet, and stared back at me. "Do you know anything of a organization?"

"Swimming Rocks? The Book Destiny? Jazzy Mazzy? The Hail Upon Cooking? No?"

"Anything that your parents are involved in?"

"Cooking Mama, Books Frenzy, Everybody's Kung Fu Fighting Club?" I gawked.

"She doesn't look like she's kidding." The olive skinned man crossed his bulky arms across his chest.

The beret guy looked down at the ground for a while, before looking back at the crowd gathering behind him. "I'll have to take a few more information from you, kid, before I can let you go. I need a piece of paper here." And that slapped a expression of surprise on everyone of them. Well, almost everyone of them, I couldn't see anything on the masked face.

"You're gonna let her go?"

"But sir- you never know if she's telling the truth-"

"I am telling the truth! If you don't want it, forget it, send me to jail!" I spat, my blood boiling in sheer irritation. Seriously, what do they want from me? They look like a classified CIA version of science military, and I am no soldier here.

That turned everyone's attention to me. I moved my pursed lips to the right side, signing my authority. "I just came here for a photograph for my essay and mediate, but looks like there was a dead zone covering up my favorite place, so I decided to go away, but this random guy pinned me down, shot someone with a shuriken, and so I decided to be goody two shoes." I emphasized on the last three words. "There you have my extremely true story."

"You sure we don't need a lie detector?"

"What's need for a lie detector, she's all bloodied up and her face looked like she could still punch someone on the face."

"See, Duke saw. Now who's on for taking sides again?" The beret guy growled.

"Alright, fine, she's clean. As you say, Your Commanding Majesty."

"But even though she doesn't know she's living just below their headquarters, isn't she still dangerous?"

"Um... yeah, General, maybe she could give us something, I dunno, we might be able to take her under our wing."

"I have something for her, so do you trust me or not?"

"Yes."

"Good. Give her a form, let her sign it, and she's good to go."

"Wait! One second!" I shot again, and I silently felt like kicking myself for interrupting. "I don't get sent to jail?"

"No. When we went there to check, he was already gone. And, I don't think the dead people can move, FYI. In case you missed that class for high school." The redhead snorted, instantly getting my annoyed side. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that."

"Then good to hear it went into your brain. Here's the form." The spanish guy slipped a worksheet in front of me, along with a pen. He looked at me with a spark of fascination, as if I were a alien from outerspace.

"Gracias?" I mumbled.

"I'm Moroccan."

"Oh." I muttered. The dude in black armor came to untie me, and I shakily took the pen. Using the lap as my table, I wrote.

When I was finished, I passed the paper back to him, they took me into another room, jam packed with people in white suits wrapping them except for the face. They took a huge syringe, which I stared at with the worst horror written over my face. "This will only hurt a little bit..." One of them then jabbed it into my skin, which almost made me scream in pain. They have a very bad sense of sarcasm.

Finally, they let me back to my bike, which I vowed to cycle back and never to return for the next couple of weeks. Which I will oblige, willingly.

* * *

"What in the world happened to you?!" Dad exclaimed as I hobbled into the living room, him looking up from the newspaper.

"I was at the city centre to take a picture." I lied. "Then this guy came snatching my camera, and I want it back. I dragged him to the police station." I groaned. I wish it were real. I might've taken a Badge of Honor back with at least a crooked grin. "My bo staff was lost during the way."

He looked at me, suspicion clouding in his eyes. Uh oh. I didn't like him being doubtful of me, since I trained so hard just to at least get him to smile. I tried sighing, and rubbing the back of my neck to wring off the intuition. "Can I go now?"

"You're grounded."

"What?!"

"No leaving the neighborhood for a month. That's the end of the conversation." My dad's face turned grim, and flipped to another page of the newspaper.

I just stood there, slowly registering what he said, before bowing my head, and hauling myself off upstairs.

So much for a good day.

* * *

I knocked the newly installed French door so rapidly I doubt anyone can pretend to not ignore it. After a few seconds, I heard noises of clumsy shuffling down the stairs, and a boy slightly over the height of mine came opening the door, fixing his crooked nerd glasses and his slightly disheveled hair.

"Um... Rachelle? What are you doing here, I thought you were grounded?" He hissed.

"Only around the neighborhood." I mimicked my dad's deep tone, and he sighed in relief.

Jake. The good guy, trustworthy, and the nerd. He was the only one who can help quench my crazy flames of curiosity if I want to.

"Okay, Jake, I need your help." I whispered, and his face drooped again. "With what? I'm sorry, I can't help you with your IT assignments again-"

"No, its not about the IT again, okay? I just need you to trust me for a while and the whole thing is over. I just want you to search something for me."

"What is it?" He replied.

I barged into his nicely furnished house, ran past that french wardrobe filled with the perfume collection Jake's mom was always proud about, and gestured him to sit on his place where he has been for the past few years of his entire life- the computer desktop.

"Alright, I need you to find an an organization named Cobra." I said confidently, and Jake jumped out of his seat. "Are you insane? Hacking into the government will send us both to jail if they find out! They would imprison me for weeks-, both of us! And-"

"They won't know, trust me." I shot him my most serious look. "Just do as I say, and I can guarantee that none of us are going to jail." Then I forced him back to his seat. Clearly every boy in the world knows the Cobra Organization, ever since that was in the news, the two tapestry rolling down at the White House. Now it's fading away into the history, because obviously the government would classify anything that went in their way.

The beret guy a few weeks ago mentioned something about the guy who I fought being Cobra. How does it connect to the research zone there? Does its purpose have anything to do with the government?

His screen turned back with glowing green words, and a series of files started scrolling around the screen. Jake did his magic, his fingers flying over the keyboard, his mouth repeating the same 'this is bad, this is bad, this is bad', and opening file after file, hacking through authentication tabs, until I heard the keyboard noises stop.

Looking at the screen, I saw a red icon of a cobra's head, its eyes gleaming ruby. "I-it says it's a classified organization that had been engaged in malicious actions on domination of the human rights, and has been attempting major actions by releasing the nanomite warheads and hiring a double of the president..." He couldn't continue, too much occupied with stammering, so I decided to read them for myself. I absorbed the information word by word, and each paragraph turned another piece of my heart into ice. I was reading classified information. Complete classified information of the most dangerous organization in the world. They might be the ones that turned the infamous signature of Paris; the Eiffel Tower into ashes.

"We're getting deeper than we think we are, Rachelle. I-I think it's time for us to just give up and forget anything that happened..." He stammered as he slid over the 'cross' icon of the window. I grabbed his wrist. "Okay, find me the enemy organization of this Cobra." I whispered. my blood turning to ice as well. If that man was Cobra, then what intended purpose does he have there? What is the tent concealing at all?

"Get me the list of tasks they're on as well."

"G. , a classified military organization issued from the government armed with the finest military weapons and soldiers, trusted with the highest and most dangerous technology invented from administration. The last and most powerful last resort, proven to overcome whatever else that fails. Garanteed by government, signed by the current President of Washington D.C. That's it for what I can say, Rachelle. The assignment list is too heavily guarded, I can't get in."

I sighed. Yeap, I went deep enough, I hope my interest is fully quenched. I thanked Jake for what he has done, and left his house.


End file.
